1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a toner cartridge and more specifically, to a toner cartridge which can reduce the leakage of toner caused by a user's erroneous operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional toner cartridge for an image forming apparatus generally includes a feed outlet for discharging toner from the toner cartridge to the image forming apparatus, and a return inlet for recycling surplus toner from the image forming apparatus to the toner cartridge.
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 illustrate a conventional toner cartridge 10 which comprises a housing 12 for accommodation of toner having a feed outlet 122 and a return inlet 124, a rotator 14 mounted on one end of the housing 12 and provided with a first opening 142 and a second opening 144, and a pad 16 disposed between the housing 12 and the rotator 14 and surrounding the feed outlet 122 and the return inlet 124. The rotator 14 is rotatable relative to the housing 12 between an open position P1 where the feed outlet 122 and the return inlet 124 are open and a closed position P2 where the feed outlet 122 and the return inlet 124 are closed.
When the conventional toner cartridge 10 isn't installed in an image forming apparatus, the rotator 14 is located at the closed position P2. When the toner cartridge 10 is installed in an image forming apparatus, the installation action will drive the rotator 14 to rotate relative to the housing 12 from the closed position P2 to the open position P1, such that the feed outlet 122 and the return inlet 124 of the toner cartridge 10 are accessible through the first opening 142 and the second opening 144 of the rotator 14 respectively for discharging toner and recycling surplus toner.
As stated above, the feed outlet 122 and the return inlet 124 of the toner cartridge 10 will be accessible simultaneously when the rotator 14 is rotated from the closed position P2 to the open position P1. Thus, when the toner cartridge 10 isn't installed in an image forming apparatus and the rotator 14 is forced by a user's erroneous operation to rotate from the closed position P2 to the open position P1, the toner will leak from the feed outlet 122 and the return inlet 124 concurrently, resulting in that toner is wasted massively and undesirably.
Besides, since the rotator 14 is made by plastic injection molding, the inner wall of the rotator 14 has a certain draft taper, such that the space between the rotator 14 and the housing 12 gradually increases along the axis of the rotator 14. Because the space between the rotator 14 and the housing 12 cannot be fully filled by the pad 16, which has a uniform thickness and is disposed between the housing 12 and the rotator 14 of the conventional toner cartridge 10 and surrounds the feed outlet 122 and the return inlet 124, the toner may leak out of the cartridge 10.